Doctor Who – “The Name of The Doctor” The Not-Really Season Finale (But Mostly a Defence of Clara)

Frustratingly, “Name of the Doctor” felt like a prequel to the 50^th anniversary special as opposed to a season finale. As you read on remember, spoilers, obviously.

The episode was far more static than some of the manic roller-coaster ride adventures we’re used to Moffat serving up. There were several moments that were designed to pack an emotional punch fitting of a season finale (will discuss further) but the episode was structured in a way that felt almost entirely in service of the 50th anniversary episode airing in November and thereby neglecting its role as part of the seventh season properly. It’s not the sort-of cliff hanger mystery I’m bothered by (more on that later), it’s the disappointing feeling I was left with during and at the end of the episode that apparently the upcoming 50th took precedence over a truly excellent effort to wrap up the season properly.

I had more to say than I thought when I initially started out – so I’ll structure this in two parts. The first is a sort of defense of Clara, then I’ll wrap up my thoughts on the episode as a season finale in general.

We solved the mystery of Clara – which as far as Doctor Who goes, was the most logical possible explanation – so if logic is the thing you’re into than that’s great. If retconning a new companion into the entirety of Doctor Who before this season is not your thing, then you’re probably suffering from a moderate to severe case of nerdrage the weekend and I’m sorry.

There are a few ways to look at the “solution” of the Clara mystery. I’m one of those folks who has really enjoyed Clara as a companion or …err, time travelling assistant. I’ve quite enjoyed her buoyant chemistry with Matt Smith that walked the line between lighthearted buddy banter and the distinct implication that the relationship ran deeper – either romantically or otherwise.

I do admit that Clara was not incredibly fleshed out explicitly. However, whether it was the writing or how Jenna-Louise Coleman brought the character to life, I always felt that Clara was a fully realized person – we just weren’t treated to her whole story. Her entire self did not revolve around her travels with the Doctor but this being his show and not hers – these are just the parts of her life that we see. Her intelligence and self-confidence placed her and the Doctor on a relatively even plane in their relationship. We can talk about the power issues involved with the Doctor keeping a pretty major secret from her – but that’s kind of his deal and addressed fairly outwardly in “The Name of the Doctor”.

The Doctor has always been a little bit more dependent on Clara in their adventures – she is the girl who saves him but she also has the confidence and perhaps more importantly, competence, to call the shots and take charge. She also possesses the kind of good sense many companions before her did not. She’s stays put when the Doctor asks her to!

Now – when “The Name of The Doctor” opens with, and repeatedly throughout the episode has Clara telling us that she was born to save the Doctor I can see where we run into some problems – and I’m not going to deny the discomfort that comes with the idea that she exists in service of him. What I will do is challenge that entire premise.

Time isn’t absolute. It’s timey whimey, there are some fixed points in time and some things are subject to change. I don’t think that Clara was born to save the Doctor, it was a choice she made. Original Recipe Clara decided to save the Doctor. Yes – It was partly a sacrifice (and what’s wrong with a dramatic, heroic sacrifice on TV) but when I was watching it I saw a Clara jumping in truly believing that she was going to make it out okay somehow. There was a kind of mutuality in Clara’s relationship with the Doctor – and a confidence that Clara had in herself, and in him – that they would save each other.

I see their relationship as a partnership – and as with many TV relationships – often there are challenges to finding that equilibrium and that’s where the tension comes from. I do wish The Doctor had clued Clara in earlier as to his strange obsession with her but I can also very easily understand why he would be reluctant to do so – even if the simplest reason is that he likes her and doesn’t want to scare her off.

Now- onto the episode as a finale. I’ve gone on about Clara so I’ll make this part brief.

1) River Song. I’ve always been a big fan of River Song if not always of the path her character was taken down. I liked her being brought back to act as a sort of guide to Clara. I think there would be a lot of mileage to be gained from exploring the dynamic between the two women who have aso much in common – though I don’t know how that could successfully be executed at this point … which brings me to my next.

This bit of closure between River and The Doctor was maybe a better parting of the ways from the last time he left her mourning her parents alone, but in my mind, it far weaker than the out of time goodbye in the library. This kiss felt earned in fanservice but unearned by the narrative. She is his wife – but the circumstance of their nuptials is suspect. I’m sure many on the internet were glad to see River get her due but the emotional bent on that scene felt incongruent with the uneven emotional standing of their relationship. Further, this season has had the Doctor referred to as Clara’s boyfriend more than once – and it would be hard to deny this sort of chemistry. I found that this moment detracted from, and confused the importance and closeness of Clara’s relationship with the Doctor was was essential to the impact of the final scenes.

2) John Hurt as The Doctor. There are a whole lot of theories flying around the internet on this one – and instead of contributing to months worth of fanfic until November – my reaction at first was WHOA. But then it kind of fell flat. It’s exciting that there’s a twist. I love a twist – but there aren’t really any stakes involved beyond that.

3) I will ALWAYS love Mme. Vastra and Jenny, even poor ol’ Strax. Jenny’s sorrowful realization that she’d been murdered was the point in the episode that had me closest to tears followed closely by the realization falling on the face of her lover.

What did you think of “The Name of The Doctor”? Love it? Hate it? Were you really expecting a name? Tell me – I really wanna know what you thought of the season finale(ish).